SAN JOSE — The Sharks have had enough problems this month scoring goals and winning games with a lineup that was basically intact. Now they'll

try to snap a two-game losing streak without a former All-Star defenseman and up to three forwards.

The Sharks will be without defenseman Brent Burns and winger Ryane Clowe, one of their top six forwards, when they host the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday at HP Pavilion. Forwards Tommy Wingels and Martin Havlat are questionable for the game.

It's not exactly an ideal way for the Sharks to open a three-game homestand which, given their month-long offensive malaise, has taken on even greater importance as they try to maintain their playoff position in the Western Conference standings.

Burns will miss at least the next two games with a lower body injury he suffered in Saturday's game against Dallas, Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. Clowe, on Monday, was given a two-game suspension by the NHL for coming off the bench during Friday's game against Chicago on a legal

line change to start an altercation with the Blackhawks' Andrew Shaw.

Having sat out the Dallas game, Clowe is eligible to return Thursday against Detroit. Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, Clowe loses $39,189.18 of his salary.

"It gives different guys a chance to step up and play a bigger role," Sharks captain Joe Thornton said when asked about potentially losing Clowe for an extended period. "Clowie's a big part of our overall game with his physicality, and he plays in the top six. So it gives someone else a chance to move up and play some big minutes."

McLellan said Wingels and Havlat had maintenance days and said both will be reevaluated Tuesday morning. Wingels took a big hit from Philip Larsen with five minutes to go in the Sharks' 3-1 loss to Dallas on Saturday. Larsen was called for boarding and Wingels had to be assisted off the ice, although he returned later for another shift.

Havlat played 19 minutes and 23 seconds against Dallas, the most ice time he's received this season, but is still without a point in his last nine games.

Clowe faced disciplinary action for leaving San Jose's bench with 8.4 seconds left in San Jose's 2-1 loss to Chicago on Friday after a hard hit by Shaw on Joe Pavelski.

At that time, Clowe was assessed a minor penalty for roughing and a game misconduct for leaving the bench on an illegal line change to start an altercation — an infraction that carries automatic 10-game suspension.

n his report, Brendan Shanahan, the NHL's senior vice president of player safety, said with Sharks goalie Antti Niemi pulled and San Jose on a 6 on 5, Clowe was identified by McLellan as the next player off the bench should any of his teammates have come off the ice. Shanahan explained that Pavelski had been on the ice for one minute and eight seconds, and was skating toward the Sharks door.

The league determined that Clowe did come off the bench to start an altercation, as he went straight to Shaw after he hit the ice, but that it happened during a legal line change. Clowe had a teleconference with Shanahan on Monday after he waived his right to an in-person supplemental disciplinary hearing.

"I like to think I have a pretty good reputation playing the game the right way, playing hard," Clowe said before he learned of the suspension. "When I went into the scrum, I didn't throw any punches, so I don't throw sucker punches and I don't hit guys blindsided or from behind."

While the Sharks know when Clowe will be back and are generally optimisitic Havlat and Wingels will not miss much time, if any, there is no set timetable for the Burns' return. Burns missed all of Sharks' training camp and the first 10 games of the season with a lower body injury, and McLellan could not say if Burns' latest injury is similar to what ailed him earlier this year.

Matt Irwin might be a prime candidate to replace Burns in the lineup. Irwin played in nine games for the Sharks at the start of the season and had one goal and one assist before he was sent down to Worcester of the AHL.